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When The Who recorded the song “Going Mobile” in 1971, they had no idea what the future held, nor that they were the predictors of it.

They thought going mobile was all about being on the road and maybe flying on an airplane. But today, going mobile means a whole lot more.

Any business today that isn’t going mobile is going backwards.

Any business today that isn’t going mobile is losing to a competitor that is.

Any business today that isn’t going mobile is admitting its failure to see the present.

How good is your mobile app? Does it serve the customer, or just you? Where’s the value? Can I easily get what I want? Can I pay easily? Can I schedule a service appointment? Make a comment? Can I also call you and get right to a human?

Is all of your training and product instruction/information downloadable? How about your manuals?

How easy is it for people to read your message? What’s the format? Is it made-for-mobile, or just a poor adaptation of your blog or website?

Size matters (the size of type, that is). Why not subscribe to your own posts and see? If I need to adjust the size, tell me how to view it in mobile format.

Is everything you sell downloadable? Can I click, buy, download and listen or watch in a minute or two? (Like iTunes or Kindle.) Think about it. More than 100 billion downloads can’t be wrong.

Food for thought: Instagram completely ignored the computer in favor of smartphones and tablets. How are they doing? HINT: Facebook didn’t buy Instagram as an investment; they bought out of fear.

Note well: Every major company has a mobile app so you can easily access their stuff. Every social media channel has a mobile app reliant on smartphone and tablet use for as much as 50 percent of their traffic.

Social media is there at the forefront of mobile app development — whether you’re there or not. Social media is the perfect place for your customers to share their message and their praise, and voice their concerns.

Going mobile is not an option.

Reality: Mobile apps are now accessed more than the Internet. Mobile apps are an imperative, not an option or an added service. They are the future. Your future.

Bigger reality: The iPad is the new laptop. The smartphone is the NOW communication device, growing by millions weekly.

Biggest reality: The easier it is for people to access what you have, the more they will buy from you.

Confession: We are in the same predicament. That’s why I’m writing this: to put myself on notice that my own offerings need to be ahead of the market and ahead of my competition.

Here’s my present situation and what I’m going to be doing to ensure my leadership position for the next decade:

I have an app. Unfortunately, it’s only available for the iPhone. BUT, we’re adding an additional cross-platform mobile application that will allow easier access to my website and all of my existing books and CDs. This app will be easier to use, easier to navigate and easier for customers to purchase and pay.

All of my products will be available as downloads.

We will be providing an on-demand subscription service to all of my training offerings and all of my books on laptop, tablet and smartphone — oh yes, and even for desktop.

Caution: Don’t just think about how business is being done today. Think of how “mobile” has progressed it, making it faster and easier to conduct, and how online, tablet and smartphones have transformed the e-commerce economy to the mobile economy. It’s here, and it’s not going away.

Look around and take notice of the non-traditional changes taking place:

Coffee shop offices: Any Starbucks reveals people running their business from their iPad and their app.

Mobile accessibility,both for the purpose to connect and to purchase, is becoming dominant among retailers.

Jeffrey Gitomer is an author, professional speaker and business trainer who writes and lectures on sales, customer loyalty and personal development. Contact him at salesman@gitomer.com. Follow him on Twitter @gitomer

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